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Sony's new PlayStation 3 video game has gone from top dog to underdog in record time. Despite the buildup and hype around its arrival in November, the PS3 has been outsold so far — at a rate of almost 2-to-1 — by the Nintendo Wii. In February, the Wii was the top-selling console video game system with an estimated 335,000 sold, outpacing the Microsoft Xbox 360 (228,000) and the PS3 (127,000), according to The NPD Group.

CHICAGO (Reuters Life!) - Playing video games appears to help surgeons with skills that truly count: how well they operate using a precise technique, a study said on Monday. There was a strong correlation between video game skills and a surgeon's capabilities performing laparoscopic surgery in the study published in the February issue of Archives of Surgery. Laparoscopy and related surgeries involve manipulating instruments through a small incision or body opening where the surgeon's movements are guided by watching a television screen. Video game skills translated into higher scores on a day-and-half-long surgical skills test, and the correlation was much...

GameTrailers recently received an alarming phone message referencing a Castle Crashers clip that the site had posted during PAX 06. A babbling voice was insisting that The Behemoth's upcoming Xbox Live Arcade title was racist, depicting "brown and black characters" being slaughtered by "pure-white characters." It sounds absurd -- it is absurd. But for someone who seems so obviously removed from mainstream gaming culture and the intentions of The Behemoth, could Castle Crashers be rationally interpreted as racist?

PHILADELPHIA -- A 25-year-old North Philadelphia man has been charged with killing his young daughter. The mother said 17-month-old Alayiah was violently punched by Tyrone Spellman over a video game. "My baby is gone at the hands of her father," Mia Turman said tearfully. "I have to put her in the ground, I shouldn't have to do this." As the 21-year-old took a nap inside their row-home on the 1500 block of 29th Street, Turman left Alayiah in the care of Spellman, who also goes by the name Anwar Salahuddin. Turman said that when she woke, "I asked why my...

DAYTONA BEACH, FL (AP) -- A judge delivered death sentences Thursday to the ringleader and a participant in the bloody beating deaths of six people over an Xbox video game system. Troy Victorino, 29, and Jerone Hunter, 20, were sentenced by Chief Circuit Judge Bill Parsons after their convictions on first-degree murder for the 2004 slaughter of six people in a Deltona house. Neither man showed emotion when the verdicts were read. A jury recommended death for both Hunter and the 6-foot-7, 270-pound Victorino, but the final decision of life in prison without parole or death rested with Parsons.

The U.S. Army has discovered a remote control gun turret that works, and cannot get enough of them. The army wants over 9,000 CROWS (common remotely operated weapon stations), but is only getting 15 a month. There should be about a thousand CROWS in service by the end of the year. The idea for CROWS has been around for nearly half a century. Years of tinkering, and better technology, eventually made the remote control gun turret effective and dependable. CROWS us a real life saver, not to mention anxiety reducer, for troops who drive through bandit country a lot, and...

This monthly thread is dedicated to Freepers who also enjoy online gaming. Post here to find fellow gamers, arrange online games, or share screen shots, reviews, helps and tips. Separate Ping lists are created and maintained for each game.Official game site links are available for most games listed. We currently have 92 gamers playing over 95 different games. Top Games: Battlefield/Battlefield 2 (19 gamers) World Of Warcraft (16 gamers) Unreal Tournament (9 gamers) City Of Heroes (10 gamers)

Bill Gates has played down the threat posed to Microsoft by competition from internet search giant Google. Google's meteoric rise and rivalry with Microsoft has increasingly become a fixation of the press, Mr Gates said. "People tend to get over focused on one of our competitors. We've always seen that," the Microsoft chairman said. Speaking before a keynote speech at the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas, Mr Gates said computer giant IBM posed a greater threat to Microsoft. "IBM has always been our biggest competitor. The press just don't like to write about IBM," he told the Reuters news...

Santa Rosa, Calif. - A 26-year-old man was arrested on charges he molested a teenage boy he met through Microsoft Corp.'s popular Xbox Live online video game community, authorities said. Ronnie Brendan Watts, of Placerville, delayed entering a plea Wednesday to charges that include using the Internet to solicit a minor, said Donna Edwards, a spokeswoman for the Sonoma County District Attorney's Office. He is due back in court Jan. 20. Santa Rosa police arrested Watts on Dec. 15 after the 14-year-old boy revealed details of the alleged relationship to his mother. Detectives said Watts contacted the boy in October...

If you are a Freeper, and also like online gaming, post here to find fellow gamers, share screen shots, reviews, helps, and tips. Gamer tables are updated and published weekly. We currently have 86 gamers playing over 60 different games. Top Games: Battlefield/Battlefield 2 (19 gamers) World Of Warcraft (15 gamers) Unreal Tournament (9 gamers) City Of Heroes (10 gamers)

U.S. prosecutors have charged three men with copyright infringement for allegedly selling modified Xbox consoles that enabled the original video game machine from Microsoft to play pirated games. The criminal complaint filed in federal court in Los Angeles on Monday named ACME Game Store co-owners Jason Jones, 34, and Jonathan Bryant, 44, as well as Pei "Patrick" Cai, 32. The complaint alleges that Jones and Bryant sold Xbox systems that Cai modified with chips and hard drives that allowed people to copy rented or borrowed games onto the console for future play. All three men are charged with one felony...

Men Face criminal charge for Xbox TamperingTue Dec 20, 2005 3:45 PM ET168 LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - U.S. prosecutors have charged three men with copyright infringement for selling modified Xbox consoles that enabled the original video game machine from Microsoft Corp. to play pirated games. The criminal complaint filed in federal court in Los Angeles on Monday named ACME Game Store co-owners Jason Jones, 34, and Jonathan Bryant, 44, as well as Pei "Patrick" Cai, 32.

I wasn't one of the people who stood in line for hours and hours when the xbox 360 first came out, but i was wondering if anyone knew if microsoft was making another shipment for before christmas or is it just hopeless? I went to the local EB and they said microsoft won't have another shipment until after the holidays. That kind of seems like a dumb idea, why cut off the shipments during the holidays? Can anybody shed some light on this, thanks.

If you are a Freeper, and also like online gaming, post here to find fellow gamers, share screen shots, reviews, helps, and tips. Gamer tables are updated and published weekly. We currently have 84 gamers playing over 60 different games. Top Games: Battlefield/Battlefield 2 (19 gamers) World Of Warcraft (15 gamers) Unreal Tournament (9 gamers) City Of Heroes (10 gamers)

It was only a matter of time before the first XBOX 360 game was ripped, hacked, smacked and packed by a pirate group and the first one in question is - Condemed, Criminal Origins. Oh the irony! The group PI released the 7 gigabyte hacked dump this evening with the words: You can't run these dumps yet, but you will be able to sooner or later In the mean time you can use our open source extractor tool to check the contents on your pc. Why do we release full raw dumps, one sentence "Remember Gamecube?" until we know for...

A Chicago man has filed a class action complaint against Microsoft that claims the company knowingly distributed defective Xbox game consoles in its hurry to beat rivals to market with a next-generation gaming product. A complaint filed in a U.S. District Court in Illinois by Robert E. Byers alleges that Microsoft designed a power supply and a CPU into the Xbox 360 that run too hot and overheat, causing the console to freeze or lock up when being operated. The design defect is “material” because “it renders the Xbox 360 game consoles completely inoperable,” according to court documents filed Friday,...

Aliens landed in Palmdale last week. At least that's what it looked like from the Antelope Valley Freeway. An eerie green glow emanated from hangar 703, near Plant 42, shining across miles of sleepy houses. From the Vista Point, it looked like Venus had descended from the night sky and taken up residence on Avenue P. I followed the light. Because that's what you do with ominous and unexplained lights, right? You follow them. Besides, it was only 2:30 in the morning. OK, full disclosure, I had directions to the source of the green light. I didn't need them, but...

Some poltroon lawyers nixed airing it, but this ad is a hoot. (Warning: Politically Incorrect imaginary violence!)

Parents and retailers are failing miserably to keep violent and sexually explicit video games out of the hands of children, according to a report that estimates seven in 10 youngsters are playing M-rated games meant for people over the age of 17. The 10th annual MediaWise Video Game Report, released today by the National Institute on Media and the Family, targets 12 video games parents should keep out of the hands of children and teenagers. The 12 Worst Far CryF.E.A.R.The WarriorsStubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a PulseTrue Crime: New York CityBlitz: The LeagueGrand Theft Auto: Liberty City StoriesGod of...

After we collect $430 in donations, we will take that money to a local unspecified retailer, which opens at 12am on the launch date. We will purchase the Xbox 360, and destroy it in front of the other Xbox fanboys who are already waiting in line. We will try to be at the very front of the line. The whole thing will be shot on film, and displayed on this site. This is only a social experiment, for the entertainment of the donors, and visitors of this site.Pictures and the video on the site.